Flea Market Finds #37: A Bucket of Junk(wax) & more Junk

One weekend.  Two flea markets.  Three decades of collectibles.

Before I tell you what I bought... let's review the difference between the two flea markets I walked around last weekend.

The De Anza Flea Market is held in the parking lot of a local community college on the first Saturday of each month.  It has a lot of vendors who sell antiques, handmade crafts, and other unique items you'd find at a street fair.  You'll also find a fair share of vendors who are locals conducting their spring cleaning.  In short... it's like a middle class flea market.

At the very end of the spectrum, there's the Capitol Flea Market.  This is where most of my Flea Market Finds occur.  It's open every Wednesday through Sunday and is located at the local drive-in theater.  The average vendor has tons of junk.  I'm not joking.  There's tons of stuff that I wouldn't take home if they were giving it away.  But every now and then... hidden among the garbage, you can find a hidden treasure.

Okay, now that you have the background info... let's check out what I picked up last weekend.

When:  Saturday, May 4th
Where:  De Anza Flea Market
What:  Sports Cards & Bobble
How Much?:  $63

Purchase #1:  1989 Pro Set Football (Series 1 & 2) Set  $6

Yes, I know this stuff was probably the most overproduced football set of all-time.  But it has a ton of cool rookie cards, including: Troy Aikman, Barry Sanders, Tim Brown, Thurman Thomas, Cris Carter, Derrick Thomas, Deion Sanders, and Michael Irvin.


Purchase #2:  A Bucket of Junk $15

It pays to peek.  This lady had this bin sitting under a box of Christmas ornaments.  As I walked by, I recognized a familiar sight.  It was a fraction of a 1990 Upper Deck High #'s set that was barely visible to the untrained eye.  I took a step back and moved the box of ornaments, unveiling a bucket of Junk Wax Era cardboard.

Here's a list of the contents:  1989 Topps Traded set, 1992-93 Topps Basketball factory set, 1989 Fleer Update set, 1990 Upper Deck High #'s set, 1994 Fleer Football (opened) wax box, 1993 Topps Black Gold baseball set, small stack of individual cards (including a Tony La Russa autograph), and a 2001 Barry Bonds All-Star bobble head.

I was mainly interested in the Bonds bobble head and the La Russa autograph, but I asked her about the whole bucket.  She wanted $15, which was reasonable... so a deal was made.


Purchase #3:  2001 Bowman Draft Factory Baseball Set and 2005 Score Football Wax Box $40 

I stumbled across a guy who was dumping his collection of wax boxes.  He had hundreds of wax boxes ranging from the late 90's to the mid 2000's.  He definitely knew his values, so there wasn't any chance to find any hidden treasures.  His prices were based on completed eBay sales minus 20%.

I ended up grabbing the Bowman Draft set (for the Ichiro rookie) and the box of Score in hopes of pulling an Aaron Rodgers rookie.  The Bowman set sells for around $15, while the Score box sells for around $45.  He wanted $45 for the pair and I countered with $40.  He accepted and we both walked away satisfied.

Btw... I ended up pulling one A-Rod and a numbered Alex Smith rookie.  Did I pay for the box?  Nope... but it was fun to rip and that's part of what I payed for.

Purchase #4:  1984 Topps John Elway Rookie $1

Why would somebody sell an Elway rookie card for a buck?  Because it's got this nice dimple embedded on the right side of the card and it's centering is terrible.  But that just makes it the latest addition to my Damaged Card PC.  


Purchase #5:  1993 McDonald's GameDay Sets $1

Yup... 50¢ for each set.  They're not worth much, but if you've ever seen these sets, I'm sure you can appreciate they're coolness.

The next day, I woke up and went to the other flea market, which looked deserted... because it was Cinco de Mayo.

When:  Sunday, May 5th

Where:  Capitol Flea Market

What:  More Comics & Ball

How Much?:  $6

Purchase #1:  Comic Books $5

Spectacular Spider-Man #200, #225, and #229

The Uncanny X-Men #395, Iron Man #300, and Batman: The Killing Joke

It's simple.  I can't walk away from comic books with 90's gimmick covers.


Purchase #2:  1995 Avon Collection Jackie Robinson Ball $1   

There weren't a lot of vendors this time with sports memorabilia, but one guy had fifty to sixty of these baseballs.  Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Willie Mays, Cal Ripken Jr., Ken Griffey Jr., Ted Williams... and Jackie Robinson.  Most of them were Cobbs and Gehrigs, but he had at least five of each player... except Robinson.  He only had one of those and after I left his table... he was Jackie-less.

The overall picture isn't a pretty one, because the purchase of the 2005 Score box ended up putting a big dent in my wallet.  But... you win some and lose some when you bust wax.  At least I ended up pulling the main card I wanted.

Happy Thursday and sayonara!